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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037184">Just A Play</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleybenlove/pseuds/ashleybenlove'>ashleybenlove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ashley's Bad Things Happen Bingo Fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Things Happen Bingo, Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Post-Defenders of Berk, Snoggletog (How to Train Your Dragon), Snoggletog Pageant, Theatre, Whump, hand holding, performance anxiety, stage fright</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:16:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>896</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleybenlove/pseuds/ashleybenlove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dragon Riders have to be in the Snoggletog Pageant! Someone gets stage fright!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Astrid &amp; Fishlegs &amp; Hiccup &amp; Ruffnut &amp; Snotlout &amp; Tuffnut, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III &amp; Toothless</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ashley's Bad Things Happen Bingo Fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889989</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Bad Things Happen Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just A Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo for the space: "Stage Fright."</p><p>This story is based off a <a href="https://ashleybenlove.tumblr.com/post/189523781396/what-if-they-did-the-snoggletog-pageant-thing-in">post I made</a> that was about the Snoggletog Pageant being done between HTTYD1 and RTTE. </p><p>This takes place a year after Gift Of The Night Fury, and generally after Riders/Defenders of Berk.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One morning during breakfast, about a month away from the second Snoggletog since Hiccup and Toothless defeated the Red Death, Stoick told Hiccup: “Son, I want you to participate in the Snoggletog Pageant this year.”</p><p>Hiccup looked up from his breakfast. Toothless looked up from where he was relaxing to watch what was happening.</p><p>“Me?” Hiccup asked.</p><p>“Yes, you,” Stoick said. “And the other Dragon Riders, too, of course.”</p><p>“You mean, I have to be in a play?” Hiccup asked.</p><p>“Yes, that’s what I said, son,” Stoick said, patiently.</p><p>Hiccup let out a long sigh.</p><p>“It’s not going to be like the ones in the past, is it?” Hiccup asked. He glanced at Toothless and then whispered, “That were anti-dragon?”</p><p>Stoick looked at Toothless, who seemed unamused by Hiccup’s whispering as if he could not hear him, and then looked back at his son. “No. I’ll have Gobber come up with something.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Riders met up at the Dragon Training Academy later that day, and Hiccup gave them the news.</p><p>There was much groaning from all.</p><p>That about summed up how he felt about this. A part of him felt quite touched that they were all in agreement with him.</p><p>“Do we have to?” whined the twins.</p><p>“Why?” Snotlout asked. There was also a whine in his voice.</p><p>“I’d rather do technical theatre work,” Fishlegs said.</p><p>“Do I look like I can act?” Astrid asked.</p><p>“You kinda already did?” Tuffnut said. “Though you were bad at pretending you were Heather. Totally unconvincing.”</p><p>Astrid merely frowned at this comment.</p><p>Hiccup shrugged and then added, “It’s my dad’s idea.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, the Dragon Riders along with Gobber, spent the next couple of weeks preparing for the pageant. Rehearsing was fine. Hiccup actually enjoyed spending time with his friends. It was debatable if they actually took rehearsal seriously; it was more likely that they were just enjoying each other’s company while disliking that they were asked to do something that was less about dragons and more about reciting lines from memory while pretending to be a character.</p><p>Toothless seemed to enjoy watching them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>About a week before Snoggletog, the Snoggletog Pageant was put on. It was set a few days before Snoggletog because Hiccup wanted to spend a few days before Snoggletog focused solely on dragons and any new dragons born.</p><p>Hiccup had been perfectly fine reciting the lines for the pageant when he was with his friends and having fun. It was fine! He liked spending time with them on a project that wasn’t related to dragons.</p><p>And then, they got on stage. And Hiccup had to see hundreds of his tribespeople expecting to see acting!</p><p>His character showed up a few minutes into the play, and when he had to speak, he stared at the crowd, and wanted to speak. He tried to speak.</p><p>And then decided the best thing to do was to run off stage.</p><p>While rushing from the stage, he heard the crowd gasp, and then he also heard Toothless roar at them, and then heard Astrid and Fishlegs call after him.</p><p>He wasn’t totally listening to what was happening after that, but he could vaguely hear the twins going off-script in what was probably a distraction.</p><p>He eventually found himself sitting in a hidden corner backstage, and moments after that, he felt Toothless coo at him like a whisper of comfort.</p><p>Wow, was he breathing heavily before that? He hadn’t even noticed. But just the presence of Toothless made his breath ease a little, and he found himself patting Toothless’s head.</p><p>A moment later, and he heard a gentle whisper from nearby, of his name, and he saw that all of his friends: Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, were standing nearby, looking at him with concern.</p><p>He sighed and started to apologize, “Gang, I’m sorry. I—"</p><p>“Shut up, Hiccup,” Ruffnut interrupted. “We don’t care about the pageant. It was whatever.”</p><p>He saw everyone nod.</p><p>After this, they sat down in front of him, which was about the only way for them to sit near him, as Toothless was taking up the space around him.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Astrid asked.</p><p>“Did you have performance anxiety? Also known as stage fright,” Fishlegs asked.</p><p>Hiccup sighed heavily and shrugged.</p><p>“I don’t know why but… I just wanted to flee,” Hiccup said.</p><p>“It happens,” Fishlegs said. “And that’s okay. Are you okay?”</p><p>Hiccup let out a sigh. Toothless followed with his own sigh. Hiccup sighed again, feeling even more calm.</p><p>“I guess? I feel so ridiculous for fleeing from the stage, though!” Hiccup exclaimed. He groaned. “I feel embarrassed. Everyone in this tribe saw me screw up like I had before I met Toothless.”</p><p>“Hiccup, the pageant is just a fun, no-consequences thing Berk does from time to time,” Astrid said. “It was just a play.”</p><p>“And one that none of us really wanted to do anyway,” Snotlout added. “Including you."</p><p>There were nods of agreement from the others. Hiccup also nodded.</p><p>“You kinda did us a favor,” Ruffnut added.</p><p>That comment also elicited some agreement nodding.</p><p>Astrid then reached out and placed one of her hands on Hiccup’s own.</p><p>Fishlegs followed with the same action.</p><p>“Oh, are we holding Hiccup’s hands?” Tuffnut asked.</p><p>And with that, Hiccup found his hands being held by everyone.</p><p>Hiccup found himself smiling at his five friends.</p><p>“Thanks, guys,” Hiccup said.</p>
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